So this particular workout consisted of sitting in a nasty little synth loop I wrote and trying to come up with some tasty grooves. Sometimes it's fun to close the books, put on a loop, and start exploring what rhythms and grooves are hiding within a song. This is one of my favorite ways to practice. Hope you all enjoy!
Making Sweet Soul Music with Ryan Marsh
I recently had the chance to make some sweet soul music with Ryan Marsh in my studio. Like most projects, we had very little time and a lot to do. I was charged with not only playing drums, but capturing everything on video as well. It was so much fun, and I hope you all enjoy the results.
The Record Rescuer
I've always been blessed to have parents with incredible taste in music, and lives that are passionate about music. My childhood is filled with memories of dancing to albums with my mom, going to band practices with my father, and learning how to play music myself. I recently had the opportunity to capture some of that passion on camera as I followed my mom around and watched as she listened to music and restored damaged albums into usable items. She's had a hobby for quite some time now where she finds albums that are damaged beyond repair, and then re-purposes them into bowls, ornaments, coasters, and more. She creates these cool items and them sells them at art shows. I caught her in the act of crafting some new bowls, and then sat down with her for a brief interview about the inspiration behind her work. I am proud to present the result of that time, The Record Rescuer. To learn more about my mom and her work, you can check out her website at Rock-N-Bowl.com. Enjoy!
Escaping to the Sky with Starscape Photography
These past couple of months have been absolutely crazy for me. I've been teaching full time during the day, going to grad school full time at night, working on articles for Modern Drummer Magazine, and trying to spend time with my amazing wife and kids. Thankfully, this schedule is about to slow down a little. But in the midst of that craziness, in the wee hours of the night I would have to find a way to escape. Often times it was to the stars. I'd be up late working on one thing or another. I'd look up to the sky and see the vast expanse of darkness with little lights shining though proudly. It was peaceful, and it was quiet. I began wanting to capture that peace, and found that even the act of trying to capture it helped me escape the craziness of life. Chasing the stars gave me an incredible time of reflection, and a wonderful chance to unplug from the world. In the middle of the night I'd grab my gear and sneak off to my back yard, or a baseball field. Sometimes it would be so dark that I could barely see my hand in front of my face, but the stars still shined bright. Below are just a few shots from my little Starscape photography escapades. I hope you all enjoy.
Drum Daze 2014 - Greg Hutchinson, Mike Johnston, Ray Luzier, Russ Miller, John Riley
On March 30, 2014, Columbus Pro Percussion and Modern Drummer Magazine hosted Drum Daze 2014, an incredible drumming event that featured some of the most respected names in the drum industry today. Greg Hutchinson, Mike Johnston, Ray Luzier, Russ Miller, and John Riley all graced the stage with their expertise by providing industry stories, insights, and best of all.... incredible drumming performances. My role was to capture the magic that took place and to create videos that Modern Drummer Magazine could share with the world so that everyone could enjoy the performances. Below is a selection of the videos that I created for Modern Drummer. A huge thanks goes out to my right hand man for the video shoot, Philip Turner! For the complete selection of videos visit the playlist here. I hope you all enjoy!